Missouri baseball will have to face an assortment of hard-hitting teams this season, including the second-ranked team in the nation, the Florida Gators. With the majority of the pitching staff returning, including potential first-round draft pick Tanner Houck, the Tigers rotation will be competitive. That being said, it will take more than just some solid pitching to shut down these high-octane offenses.

Here are a few strategies that the Tigers could employ this season in order to contain these stellar offenses:

**Infield Shifts**
An infield shift is an extreme realignment of the four infielders intended to better cover one side of the field based on the tendencies of specific hitters. The purpose of this is to prevent extra base hits that are shot into the gaps between the fielders.

According to Chris Teeter of Beyond The Box Score, infield shifts are being used now more than ever, and with success.

“Teams are using batted ball data to more appropriately align their defenders to take advantage of batter tendencies,” Teeter said on Beyond The Box Score. “What was once a hit, even just a few years ago, is now frequently an out.”

Often times this strategy is used on left handed hitters, which No. 7 Vanderbilt have plenty of. Their lineup includes preseason All-American Jeren Kendall, a left-hander who hit .332 last season.

Missouri’s new coach, Steve Bieser, has a dilemma on his hands that he’ll need to solve if the Tigers are to be successful this season: Trust in the pitching, and leave the fielders in their positions, or shift the infield and risk opposite field, extra base hits.

**Base Running**

Southeastern Conference foe Tennessee finished in the top 25 in bases stolen last year. Such an aggressive, base-running mindset from opposing teams could spell trouble for the Tigers, considering that the team had a total of just four throw outs last year.

Doug Bernier of Pro Baseball Insider says that it’s also important to understand a runner’s tendencies when trying to prevent him from stealing.

“Most runners would rather pick to steal on a curve ball or change up, because it takes longer to get to home plate and it is usually a little more difficult for a catcher to catch and throw on an off speed pitch,” he said on Pro Baseball Insider.

Awareness from pitchers and catchers will be paramount in shutting down the offensive base running strategies of teams who are aggressive on the basepaths.

**Sacrifice Bunts**

A sacrifice bunt is used to advance a runner by making the fielder choose whether to throw out the baserunner or the player who bunted. In most cases, the fielder will choose the easier throw first, allowing the base runner on first to advance to second.

This strategy is employed often, and Little Rock, whom the Tigers will face on March 21, was in the top 30 teams who last year had the most successful sacrifice bunt attempts. Over the course of Little Rock’s 54-game season, the team had 56 successful sacrifice bunts. Again, it will be up to Coach Bieser as to how the Tigers will counter this tactic.

A common counteractive measure is to have the first and third basemen move closer to home plate, allowing them to quickly scoop up any bunt and then make the correct throw. This however, exposes both corners of the infield, and if a batter is able to feint a bunt and then transition into a full swing it could have devastating consequences.

Defending a bunt comes down to communication and the catcher making the right call to get the out, according to an article on QCBaseball.

“In all bunting situations, the catcher is in charge. He must be fully aware of the ability of his defense to field a bunt and make a quality throw.”

It’s been said that the best defense is a good offense, but with an abundance of talent and a mix of experience and young prospects, the Tigers are primed for success. Under Coach Bieser’s leadership, the Tigers have a good chance of improving on their 26-30 record from last year, and making it into the postseason. The use of these defensive strategies could prove vital to that improvement.

_Edited by Eli Lederman | elederman@themaneater.com_